Creating a new concept for a logo can be challenging. Inevitably, you are dealing with a very small platform for any idea. With a poster, a website or anything else you have space to expand an idea, making it work by forming the entire picture. But with logos, you are condensing that style and look into one tiny little package.

Despite this, it still has to provide some kind of related material or interesting visual to draw the eye. For something so small, it has a big job to do. That is why so many graphic artists enjoy the challenge, taking time to see how much they can do with so little to work with. Some of the outcomes from both large and small companies have been incredible.

One way to go is by theming the actual art design itself. For example, an increasingly popular format is the pixel logo.

This goes back to the retro game look, which has been making great strides as the so-called “geek chic” movement remains popular in today’s culture. Here are 10 examples of inspiring pixel logo designs that will be sure to get those creative juices flowing.

1. Interoute

This logo manages to take the simple retro look of pixels and create a more complex design that reminds me of the old maze games – which is fitting, because that is exactly what the pixel boxes form. But it isn’t too involved, so it also gives a look similar to what you might find on a map of interwoven roads. This relates it to the name of the company quite well.

Rather than suggesting the name, you can see the direct interpretation right in the design. A small figure made of orange pixels bends down and pushes a single block of charcoal gray. There is something quite lighthearted and quirky about it. For the moment, the logo is on sale for $500 USD, though that doesn’t include the domain name rights. The domain only costs around $12.99 to $15.99 for most versions, however. It would be a nice boon for a startup.

Another creative use of the name in the design, this logo shows a tree made of bits with plenty of eye-catching colors without being too bright. In the center is a “T”, just hidden enough to make you pay attention, but not hard enough to see to be subliminal. There are a few alternative versions, and my personal favorite is the red and orange logo that looks like a tree in autumn.

While it is technically made of pixels, this one looks more like jigsaw pieces. The deep purple of the background is a unique choice, as you usually have plain white for the standard, and it mixes with most web pages or printed material.

Sometimes the attachment of a name to a well known brand can give you a great boost in ideas. Having “LEGO” anywhere in a title is immediately going to provide a foundation for a design. This one has three basic ideas, each one using the LEGO block format to created a strong “L”. The colors might be a little dark for the purpose, but the Tetris feel to the whole thing is interesting.

Another bold background choice, this one uses an off-blue with green and white to make up the lettering. The “P” on the side is done with pixels, with a single block broken off from the rest. That single pixel actually does a lot to vary the overall look, and without it the whole effect might have been a little plain.

This one might have been orchestrated a little better, such as by turning the “I” and “l” in “pixel” sideways to create a more smile-like image. It could be easily modified to fit a little more, but the price of $425 seems a little steep. However, that includes the domain name, and it could be fixed up to give a great pixel design. It was on the right track, it just fell a little short.

Probably the best part of this design is not the pixel-based logo, but in the slogan that is below it: Because everything is made of pixels. That is a fair point, and it is a stylish way to present an idea that would be a little stale. It shows a tree with the leaves made of green blocks. The placement is nice, with plenty of space on the white background to give it depth.

This one reminds me of every old Nintendo or late-era Atari game I ever played, but especially those old kung-fu beat ’em up platforms that everyone seemed to love just after the introduction of the Super Nintendo. The pixels make up a foundation with the company initials, and then build a structure on top of it. Clever and interesting, not to mention nostalgic.

Created by the same designer as Pixel, this one gives a simple contrast between color and shape. The pixels are groups together and there is a cursor to move it from a traditional pixel feel to one of more modern computers. But there is still something about it that elicits images from the late 90’s and the days of Windows 98.